October bed taxes hit new record in Hillsborough County

TAMPA (Nov. 10, 2014) – Tampa Bay hotel bed taxes hit another record in October, according to figures recently released by the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office.

Collections of Hillsborough County’s Tourist Development Tax – a 5 percent levy paid on short-term accommodations – hit $1.6 million in October, a 7 percent increase from the same month in 2013. The previous record had been $1.5 million, set in October 2012.

The taxes were paid in September and reported in October, making them the first month reported under the county’s 2015 fiscal year. They cover a period when Tampa Bay hotels hosted 22 groups that bought nearly 21,500 room nights and produced $9.1 million in estimated economic impact.

Visit Tampa Bay launched its “30 in 3” project last month with the goal of reaching $30 million in county bed taxes by 2018. Hitting that goal will boost Hillsborough County in the ranks of Florida’s eight high-impact tourism counties.

“We’re thrilled to see these latest bed tax numbers,” said Visit Tampa Bay President & CEO Santiago Corrada. “It’s gratifying to see the new fiscal year picking up where the old year left off. This is great news for our industry and for Tampa Bay as a whole. We’re well on our way to hitting our goal of ’30 in 3.’ ”

ABOUT VISIT TAMPA BAY
Visit Tampa Bay leads the effort of economic development through tourism. The mission of Visit Tampa Bay is to create vibrant economic growth for the Tampa Bay area by selling and promoting the Tampa Bay destination. The independent not-for-profit organization represents more than 700 businesses throughout the area and works to ignite interest for Visiting Tampa Bay.